2nd, who won MVP during the 3 year run, by a LANDSLIDE, and who didn't. Who won all those Finals MVP awards? I thought so. Who blocked all those shots and grabbed all those rebounds? Who was triple teamed every night, not just when he was hot, but on an every game basis? Look at the tapes during the title runs. Shaq averaged about 35 points per game during the finals, along w/15 rebounds, during the finals. Kobe gets so many props for making clutch shots, but Reggie Miller made clutch shots, does that mean we automatically put him in Shaq's class? People say Kobe bailed out Shaq, and LA, how do you bail out a guy who averages 35 pts, 15 rebounds, in the Finals? How can you bail out someone who your road their coattails? Shaq had 1 MVP during the title run, and 3 Finals MVPS. If kobe was close to equallly responsible, why wasn't Kobe triple teamed game after game, like Shaq? I'll admit, once every 5 games, Kobe would draw a DOUBLE team, when he was hot, but every team admitted, you had to double and triple Shaq every night, simply because he was gonna get 30 points, and shoot 60 % doing, and that was with 3 guys on him. Kobe was gonna hit 45 %, w/one guy on him, or oftentimes he had a wide open shot because Shaq drew the double team and shared the ball.
I don't have to argue this stuff, cuz I'll just point out Shaq was the one w/the MVP and 3 Finals MVP, Kobe never got any of them during those 3 titles. In fact, last I checked, Kobe only averaged about 20 pts, and wasn't even a top 10 player, that first year they won the title, yet Shaq proved he could still win the ring. But the 2nd and 3rd year, Kobe got better, as he entered his prime, but Kobe still didn't get the Finals MVP, or triple teams. The last 2 years, as Shaq's play suffered due to injury and weight, LA couldn't get it done. Why? Because Shaq was no longer the Shaq of the 3 titles. You take Shaq in his prime, and there's only 2 other men that can compare to him, Wilt and MJ. You take Kobe in his prime, and he's not even the best player in the league today. Shaq is a once in a generation type player, Kobe merely a once in every couple of years type player. There is no comparison.
Sorry, I had to get this out b/c Kobe fans will slip it in that Kobe was nearly as responsible as Shaq for those titles, yet Kobe's accolades, such as MVP or Finals MVP arent there to support that lie. And Kobe merely fed off Shaq's double teams. And as Shaq aged, and now is gone, Kobe struggles to shoot 40 %, why? Because the Diesel made Kobe's scoring and accuracy what it was. Kobe may never shoot 46 % again. Kobe simply isn't a force of nature, nor a dominant individual physically over his peers like a Wilt, MJ, or Shaq, thus he can't claim equal credit for those rings, there is no comparison. Shaq was more valuable than Kobe in terms of LA's greatness, as MJ was to Pip. Just like Pip fed of MJ's triple teams, Kobe fed off Shaq's dominance to WIN. Kobe's poor shooting since Shaq's departure is a hint of things to come, we all know Shaq generated a lot of open shots for Kobe, merely by his presence. Now we see the truth come to light.
I think Kobe is still a very good player, but nothing more than a Pippen or Drexler, whereas Shaq is close to MJ or Wilt in his prime years, something Kobe has not shown he can attain. Peace.
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